In recent years, Minecraft has been delivering expansive new content to millions of players. This content has ranged from story elements to new biomes to new blocks. Then there are the classics, like the 'sponge' block, which can be hard for players to obtain in survival mode. For those who want to know how to get sponges in Minecraft, this guide details the ways to go about acquiring them.
There are two primary ways to get sponges in Minecraft survival mode. One is by finding them in the natural world and the other is by defeating enemies. Both sources are rather specific. Sponges can only be found in one zone in Minecraft and only one type of enemy drops them. It's important for players to prepare themselves before looking for sponges, as it can be dangerous to find and acquire them.
Updated May 13th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: Minecraft continues to be one of the most influential games of the modern age, sprouting countless copies and heavily-influenced Indie releases that have attempted to capture the same success as the Lego-like building and survival release. One reason Minecraft is so successful is that there is a multitude of things for players to do in the sandbox-style game. There are tons of items to uncover and many blocks that players don't normally see in a given playthrough. One of these block types are Sponges, which can be incredibly useful for those that are looking to make an underwater base or hideout. To better showcase how to find Sponges in Minecraft and what they do, the following guide has been updated.
How to Get Sponges
Sponges in Minecraft can be found under water in Ocean Monuments, which can be tricky to find regardless. Once players find an Ocean Monument, however, they can then go about getting sponges. There are two ways to acquire them. The first, and perhaps worst, way of going about getting sponges is to defeat Elder Guardians. Elder Guardians can be found in Ocean Monuments and will drop one wet sponge when they die. For that reason, farming them isn't as useful as other Minecraft resources, like finding sponges naturally within the monuments themselves.
Indeed, the better way to get sponges is to find sponge rooms inside Ocean Monuments. These rooms allow players much greater access to sponges than Elder Guardians do. They are also less dangerous than killing Minecraft enemies and will yield more sponges. For those reasons, getting sponges from natural sponge rooms is definitely the best way for players to gather sponges in survival mode.
Sponges have been in Minecraft since 2009, and as expected, they're used to soak up water. Sponges aren't always necessary for all players to use and may not be as popular as most other Minecraft materials. Some people, however, who are dedicated to Minecraft and have put hours into new worlds might find that sponges are useful additions to the gameplay experience. Sponges are a pain to get, but they can certainly be beneficial. All things considered, sponges are important for any players that want to be as efficient as possible within their Minecraft worlds.
Overall, sponges don't impact Minecraft much though they can be helpful for dedicated players. While getting them seems simple, it isn't necessarily easy. Players should keep themselves secure when hunting for sponges and remember that the monsters of Minecraft can be shockingly dangerous.
What Do Sponges Do In Minecraft?
Sponges are one of the easiest ways for players to clear out water-filled locations thanks to their ability to absorb a mass amount of water blocks. A sponge can be placed into a water source and it will begin to absorb the "blocks of water" nearby, reaching out up to 7 blocks in all directions. A single Sponge is capable of absorbing up to 135 blocks of water before it is "full." Players will know if a Sponge has water in it if they see drips of water forming from it.
Thanks to their water-clearing ability. Players can use them to carve out large areas beneath the Ocean or other water sources, in order to create breathable spaces. This makes Sponges ideal for crafting underwater bases and regions hidden beneath the water's surface as their water-clearing potential is unmatched. It's also possible for players to reuse the same Sponge to continue clearing additional water if they place the filled Sponge into a Furnace. Doing so will cause it to dry out, and it can then be filled up with 135 blocks of water once more. Players can instantly dry out Sponges by dragging them into the Nether and placing them down. Doing so will cause them to "puff" and then instantly dry. Players can achieve a similar effect by placing a Sponge inside any "dry" biome in Minecraft's overworld. This method will take a bit longer, and Sponges should be dry after a few minutes.
Water Clearing Alternative
Although Sponges are the kings of water clearing, it is possible for players to clear out a water source, although the process isn't nearly as fast. The easiest way to handle this is by first diving under the water and blocking out an area that needs to be cleared. Once players have closed in an area, they can then add a multitude of Sand blocks to the inside. Once the entire inside is filled with sand, players can remove the sand blocks and the water will be gone. It's important to note that if players are doing this in an Ocean biome or near a water resource they will need to completely encapsulate the area inside or water will fill it up once again.
Minecraft is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.